Secrets of the Future
by EraseThisLie
Summary: What if Chris had decided on a different approach to deal with the sisters? The seventeen year old witchlighter crosses into the past, posing as an orphaned witch in order to save his future, and everyone in it. How will he cope, seeing his dead family alive again? Will they trust him? Will he live to see the better future he dreams of making? [Season 6 AU]
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: What if Chris had decided on a different approach to deal with the sisters? The seventeen year old witchlighter crosses into the past, posing as an orphaned witch in order to save his future, and everyone in it. How will he cope, seeing his dead family alive again? Will they trust him? Will he live to see the better future he dreams of making? [Season 6 AU]**

It was pitch black outside. Enough so that you could hardly see the destruction and buildings that have long since collapsed into rubble. Enough so that if the young boy concentrated hard enough, he could almost imagine the street he had grown up in, everything peaceful. It was saddening, though only made him realize more the necessity of his mission.

The older woman in front of him glanced back to make sure he was in good condition before gesturing for him to follow. He still didn't see the point of having a bodyguard. Everyone knew that he could take care of himself if they were caught.

"Keep up Chris…" she murmured strictly, causing him to quicken his pace as they crept towards his childhood home, now turned into a museum. The thought sickened him.

"I am, Bianca." Chris said, placing emphasis on his companion's name, "But we can't be too careful. We can't afford to fail." He added his stance on the subject, his neurotic tendencies to slip through the cold shield he had been using as a mask for the past few years.

Bianca rolled her eyes, stifling a soft chuckle at the boy's likeness of his mother, though she would never say so aloud. Not unless she wanted to go slamming into the nearest pile of destroyed concrete…again. The mere mention of the late, great, Piper Halliwell was enough to cause Chris to whip into a frenzy. "Relax. We'll be able to slip into the next tour group, then wait in the basement until the museum closes." Bianca soothed him with a recount of their plan.

This plan was a last ditch effort. Everyone knew that. He had been ruling over the Underworld and the mortal world for two years now, and there was no hope for anyone. The resistance they had been building up has been dwindling as of late, the members executed or worse; sent to the camps and dungeons of the Underworld. Chris himself had been a resident of the dungeons for six months before he escaped three weeks ago, and the seventeen year old boy still refused of speak one word about his time there.

It was as if the world was tearing apart at the seams, and nothing and nobody was willing to keep it together. Everyone had just given up hope that life would ever get back to normal. Families had been separated, cities destroyed, neighborhoods flooded. Disaster struck at every end of the Earth. Luckily for her, Bianca had never been close to her mother, and never knew her very well. Chris had it worse. His mother's death started it all. Her aunts died a few months after, and the family had been crumbling ever since.

P.J was the first to go, caught by a witch hunter.

Henry was deemed useless by Wyatt during the first months of his reign, and was killed by a horde of demons.

Wyatt murdered the twins in cold blood after they tried to seek revenge, laughing as Tamora tried to wake up the bloodsoaked Kat before stabbing her as well.

Darryl Jr was hanged for crimes against the Emperor, much to the distraught of his mother and father.

Victor died of cancer when Chris was almost sixteen.

Penny was burned at the stake.

Parker and Melinda aren't spoken of, due to their defection to Wyatt's side, causing Chris to be truly alone, except for his godparents, Darryl and Sheila Morris, who had miraculously survived. Them and Bianca, the rebel demon who had defected to the side of good. Together, the quartet had started The Resistance, which was slowly growing from a minor disturbance to a total thorn in Wyatt's side.

His father was never really in the picture, except the occasional letter.

"We're here." he whispered, eyes mournful at the sight of The Halliwell Memorial Museum.

"The next tour starts in an hour, at the crack of dawn,, so we should be able to make that." Bianca declared, taking her seat on a piece of rubble. Chris soon followed suit. "Go over the plan one more time." she said calmly, having no problem ordering around the young boy who had grown up way too quickly in their hellish world.

He took a deep breath, before murmuring the plan that he had gone over several times since it had been created a few weeks ago. Long enough for them to plan and prepare. "My name is Perry, an orphaned witch that comes across the Charmed Ones, needing their help." He started the story, not quite specifying the details. "I'll appear in the past not long after the titan attack, which should give me plenty of time to gain their trust.

"And?"

Chris smirked at her in amusement,"I'm not related to them in any way." He chuckled, as if she even needed to remind him. Nobody could find out who he was, or it would lead to disaster. Imagine finding out that some random kid was your future son or nephew, that hadn't even been conceived yet. Talk about performance anxiety.

The original plan had been for Chris to glamour himself a few years older to help give him a more authority figure, and he would act as their whitelighter from the future. It had been scrapped fairly quickly due to major holes in the cover story.

"I think you're ready." Bianca nodded in approval, ruffling his hair affectionately. The two had grown close over the past three years. It helped having something in common: evil family members.

"I could've told you that." Chris snorted, his laughter dying out as he spotted a probe. "Watch out!" he hissed, using his skilled telekinesis to push the probe into the nearest wall before it could scan either of them. Almost immediately, he gripped Bianca's shoulders in worry. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I think so." Bianca decided, still shaken from the close call, "I don't think it had time to broadcast."

Chris visibly relaxed, "We should start moving anyways, just in case. We don't want to have a run-in with a demon."

Bianca nodded, showing she agreed. They both stood up, just as the large clock tower, the only way to figure out what time of day it was, and the only building standing, since Wyatt had erected it after the destruction of everything else, tolled twelve times. "We're late." she breathed.

Immediately they began running, hopping over the rubble as Chris breathlessly built up their necessary glamours since almost everyone knew who they were. Soon, Chris was a middle-aged man with slight scruff hanging around his chin, and Bianca was a pregnant woman, probably three months in. They were up just in time, as they spotted the group about to enter the manor. Easily, they integrated into the back of the group. Chris managed to turn the probes inside around so they weren't detected.

The pair lingered in the back, hardly paying attention to the tour guides' voice. Chris knew everything about the charmed ones. He knew this house like the back of his hand, and knew their history better than anyone he knew. Upon reaching the kitchen, Bianca and Chris seemed to just disappear, waiting in the kitchen silently. A burly gruff demon seemed to be keeping guard, as there were demons stationed all over the house.

Chris smirked, knowing what came next. Then he heard a swift plunge of an athame into the demon and a quick roar of fire and it was all over. "Let's go." he decided, following her down into the basement. "Scares the hell out of me every time you do that." Chris commenter loosely.

"I'm still a demon!" Bianca told him, almost in a singsong voice, causing Chris to chuckle softly.

"Yeah, I know. I guess it just doesn't seem like it at times." Chris shrugged in thought. "You're more human. Than the others. More human than even _him_..." He sighed, refusing to say his brother's name, yet still managing to say the pronoun with disdain.

"Well duh." the young woman smirked fondly at the boy in front of her, "That's part of my charm, you know."

This caused Chris to smile. A real smile, soft and gentle and happy. Sitting down on the staircase, he looked up at Bianca, "So, what should we do while we wait?" Chris asked, already bored out of his mind.

Bianca sighed, knowing just how far the extent of his impatientness reached. "Cards." She answered simply, pulling a deck of playing cards from a pocket of her leather pants, where she usually kept a spare athame.

Chris tilted his head, debating his options for a moment before motioning for Bianca to sit down in front of him. "Alright." He decided, "We should play-"

"Go Fish." Bianca immediately butted in, naming the game that Chris had been about to choose. After he gave her an incredulous look, as if she surprised him by knowing this small detail. In answer, she shrugged, "Oh please, Chris. Don't give me that look. You have to remember that I know you far better than anyone else does. I have to, since we only have each other's company." She reminded him in a sing-song voice.

Chris sighed, rolling his eyes at her words, "Fine, but you get to deal."

-CHARMED-

Silence fell across the house, Bianca and Chris each sitting in their respective corners of the basement, taking turns dozing off. At least, until Chris took a few tentative steps towards Bianca. "Hey, Bi, wake up." He murmured, deciding that the tours must have been done for the day, which would explain why the manor was so quiet. "Bi!" he added a little louder, shaking her shoulder lightly. That proved to be a mistake, as Bianca shot up instantly at his touch, and athame clutched in a tight grip, ready to plunge it into his chest.

However, Chris knew Bianca and her moves, and easily leapt out of the way of the athame. "God, Chris. You know you aren't supposed to sneak up on me!" Bianca scolded, panting and wide-eyed, yet still managing to come off calm.

He shrugged, "Call it payback for the last week." He simply replied, gesturing for her to follow him up the stairs. At his words, Bianca glared daggers at his back.

"You know that wasn't my fault." She hissed, careful to tread lightly while still keeping up her end of the playful bantering. "How was I supposed to know that you were in the middle of something?

'Something', being Chris completely naked as he took a well-deserved wash in a stream on the outskirts of Valhalla, where the resistance had set up shop. Bianca had come barging through the trees, ranting about how dumb mortals were, and the next thing they knew, both were bright red and turned away from each other in attempt to hide their embarrassment.

Chris motioned for silence, his entire body tensing as a creak resonated through the manor. Of course they had forgotten the sentries, who guarded the museum all night and all day. Peering around the corner, they spotted two or three hulking brutes, one in front of the stairs, one in the former conservatory, and one just in front of the attic door. One wrong move could alert each and every one to their presence, which in turn would cause them to summon Wyatt.

They split up. Chris headed for the conservatory, creeping towards the demon silently. Then, the floorboard beneath him let out a soft whine of protest..damn. Immediately, Chris stabbed his own athame into the demon's gut, smirking in satisfaction as it doubled over before vanishing into flames. When he reached the stairs, he found that Bianca had made quick work of the other two. Giving her a half smile, they ascended the stairs.

When the two entered the familiar attic, Chris almost winced at the memories from this very room. A scorch mark on the wooden flooring where he had vanquished his first demon, a scent of herbs and potions that hadn't quite left the room, and if he closed his eyes, he could remember the day of innocence and joy.

-CHARMED-

 _"Wyatt! Hurry up, we're going to be late for school!" An eleven year old Chris moaned, nudging his brother, who was making a vanquishing potion, dropping the last few herbs into the bubbling orange liquid. The demon was Yora, a lower-level demon, yet he still had the guts to come after the Halliwell progeny. Wyatt insisted that the demon needed to be vanquished before school so nobody else got hurt, but Chris was getting anxious._

 _"Just one more minute, little brother." Wyatt murmured, concentrating on stirring the deadly concoction. "You summon him, and then we'll go to school." Wyatt decided in a classic big brother manner, corking the potion efficiently, only spilling a small amount on the table._

 _"Fine, but once he's good and gone, we have to orb to school afterwards if we plan on making it in time." Chris compromised, crossing his arms stubbornly._

 _"Chris! You know Mom doesn't like us using our powers where we could get caught!" Wyatt argued, though Chris was already preparing his backup argument._

 _"She doesn't want us to get another tardy either!" Chris reminded, smirking as he saw his brother's will begin to bend to his liking._

 _"Fine!" Wyatt huffed, and Chris gladly went over to write a summoning spell. he had always been the better spell-writer of the two, even at this age._

 _In just a minute, Chris was done, holding out the piece of parchment for his brother to see. Upon reading it over, Wyatt nodded in approval. "Let's get this over with, Chrisse." He declared, ruffling Chris's hair affectionately._

 _"Wyatt!" He groaned, combing his fingers through his hair as his brother placed the crystals in a circle to trap the demon._

 _Together, they held hands, and began reading the spell._

 _"Winds roar and the earth rumbles,_

 _Save us from this pestering trouble,_

 _Summon Yora, the one we seek,_

 _So he doesn't make our future's bleak."_

 _In a swirl of magic, a hulking figure appeared, a sneer lacing his features." The Halliwell sons." He chuckled, though it soon died in his throat as Wyatt threw the potion at him, and he subsequently exploded, goopy guts flying across the attic._

 _"Wy?" Chris muttered, wiping the goop from his eyes and flicking a strand from his hair._

 _"Yeah?" Wyatt asked, breathless from the experience, panting hard, yet trying his best not to inhale the pungent smell of demon guts. Each sibling was equally coated with the disgusting green goop._

 _"I'm gonna kill you." Chris replied softly, looking at Wyatt with deadly calm eyes. His brother's eyes widened a bit, but in two seconds flat, both were giggling like idiots, gasping for air between laughter._

 _Neither of them went to school that day. 'Family emergency' they said, with Mom and the Aunts to back them up for the claim. None of the teachers tried to argue. Everybody had simply learned not to question the Halliwell's antics._

-CHARMED-

He shook his head, before he finally leapt into action, bustling over to the holographic book on the pedestal. "Start drawing." He ordered calmly. When they summoned the book, they'd have a minute, tops, before Wyatt realized what had happened. Bianca pulled the white chalk off a nearby shelf and began to draw a triquetra on the paneling. Chris waited, mentally preparing himself for what happened next.

Bianca turned around, hand on her hip, "Done." She spoke aloud, smirking at him at the thought of the plan actually succeeding. "Summon the book."

Chris nodded, taking a shakey breath before speaking the words.

" _I call upon the ancient power,_

 _To help us in this darkest hour,_

 _Let the Book return to this place,_

 _Claim refuge in its rightful space."_

The book shimmered slightly, solidifying before his eyes. The spell worked. The spell really worked. Chris only stayed stunned for a moment before greedily soaking up every word as he flipped through the pages. "No...no...no...found it!" He declared, memorizing the spell quickly. Without wasting another precious second, he walked towards the large rendition of his family symbol, speaking while he walked.

" _Hear these words, hear the rhyme,_

 _Heed the hope within my mind,_

 _Send me back to where I'll find,_

 _What I wish in place in time"_

The symbol became a portal, the wall vanishing into a swirl of blue and purple lights, dancing inside the door to the past. Just as he was about to step through, he felt a touch on his shoulder. "Bianca?" He asked, turning around, to be greeted by the young woman kissing him passionately, his hands coming around to hold her against him, while her fingers tangled in his hair. For a second, he forgot his troubles and forgot the world around him.

She stiffened, causing him to mimic her reaction as they turned to look at a demon, glaring at them as he shimmered in. "Come back to me…" She whispered softly, before pushing Chris backwards into the portal. He felt his body being lifted, swallowed by the magic, watching as the portal closed up.

In the attic, Bianca glared daggers at the demon, conjuring a fireball in her hand and throwing it at him. He was immediately vanquished. Now alone, Bianca turned to stare at the wall, touching her lips lightly. "Been wanting to do that for a long time." She murmured, before taking a running leap and crashing through the attic window. They already knew she was here, might as well make a show. The assassin took off running, before disappearing in a swirl of light, the borrowed valkyrie's pendant around her neck gleaming, before the street was completely quiet.

 **A/N: Hello darlings. If you made it this far, I congratulate you. This is the first chapter in the story, and I hope it'll be fairly long, though I'm not sure. I'm just trying to work out the kinks in my writing. Questions, suggestions, and all of the above are welcomed. Love ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

Sometimes, Piper really hated having a whitelighter as a husband. Why couldn't Leo have been a nice, average, normal guy? For once in her life, could things just be ordinary? Obviously not, she realized, as the demon threw another fireball at her, and she just barely dodged it. It was the fifth demon this week who had tried attacking Wyatt, and she was simply sick of it. Unfortunately, he simply refused to blow up.

"Leo!" She yelled again at the ceiling,waiting a moment before giving up. "Paige!" She snapped, in a tone that her younger sister immediately responded to, orbing in with an annoyed expression.

"Thanks to you, I think I just got fired." Paige huffed, before letting out a squeal upon who was in the room with them. Quickly she ducked behind the couch as the demon threw another fireball.

"He's after Wyatt!" Piper warned, rapidly blowing up anything in the demon's proximity, which was a shame, since she really loved that lamp.

Paige nodded in response, holding her hand out as the demon threw a fireball-definitely a rookie move with Paige on hand. "Fireball!" She called, the dangerous sphere rebounding back at the demon, who was then vanquished at his own hands.

Just another day in the life of a Charmed One.

"Sorry, Leo wouldn't answer." Piper gave her an apologetic grin, one that her sister understood. Ever since the Titan attack, Leo had been helping out Up There, attempting to restore order to the small masses of survivors. Couldn't he have just orbed down real quickly? Especially since his son was the one in danger!

"Oh, it's okay honey, though once he does get down here, you might want t0 hae him heal that." Paige suggested with a wince upon seeing a long gash down Piper's arm. Looking at her shoulder, Piper groaned upon realizing what had happened.

"Seriously?" She sighed, rolling her eyes, more annoyed than hurt, though it did sting awfully. "Anyways, Paige, this is actually getting ridiculous! Leo needs to remember that he has a family down here that needs him!" Piper ranted, picking Wyatt up from the playpen, bouncing him on her hip. "It's okay, buddy. Mommy's here." She soothed.

Paige smiled, at the display of affection, before turning her attention to the trashed conservatory. "I hate personal gain…" She muttered, knowing that they'd have to clean up the area by hand, or else serious consequences would come back for them. She didn't want to risk that.

Upon hearing this, Piper rolled her eyes at the regular complaint of how they couldn't use their powers simply to help themselves for once. "Yeah, we all do. Start cleaning, and I'll come help once I put Wyatt down for his nap." She called over her shoulders, ascending the stairs before Paige could protest.

Frowning, she began to pick up the broken shards of glass, since those were the most dangerous parts. Anyone could trample through the room and cut their foot. Gingerly, she made good time of the glass pieces, collecting them in her palm. Luckily, they were big enough so she didn't need to grab a broom. By the time she was done disposing of them, Piper had come to join her in the battle of cleanup.

She didn't know how long they sat there tidying the conservatory and cleaning it to perfection, but when Phoebe burst through the door, she couldn't even tell there had been a demon attack until her sisters told her.

"Oh no!" Phoebe cried out, a frown creasing her face. "Is he alright?"

"Yes, no thanks to Leo. I must have called him seven times, and he still hasn't come down to make sure everything is fine!" Piper exclaimed in exasperation, continuing her ongoing rant about her husband.

"It's okay sweetie, I'm sure he just got caught up with something important." Phoebe soothed, attempting to calm her sister down.

"More important than his family?" Piper scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.

Phoebe shrugged at this. "You know how they're like up there." She reminded, placing her hand on Piper's shoulder in a comforting gesture. She wasn't prepared to be whisked into a premonition.

 _The boy was skinny and pale, which contrasted to his long dark hair, that ended just above his shoulders. He couldn't have been older than eighteen, his boyish face surprised, yet calm at the same time. His clothes were baggy, barely hanging onto his thin frame as he backed away in fear._

 _A demon stood towering over him, eyes cold as he conjured an axe, the metal glinting in the sunlight before swinging it down upon the boy. His mouth opened in a soundless scream moments before the axe finished it's course, chopping his head clean off._

She gasped, shuddering as she came out of her vision, both sisters looking at her expectantly. They knew that reaction all too well. "What did you see?" Paige finally worked up the courage to ask.

Phoebe was visibly shaken, her eyes glistening with tears of the horrible scene that had played out. When she finally found her voice, it came out raspy and low. "I-In an alleyway...I think the one next to P3." She said softly, trying her best to calm herself down. "There w-was a boy. He was so young...the demon chopped his head off… Phoebe finally managed to finish before the tears came flooding down her cheeks.

Piper put her hand to her mouth, in shock and fury. A child? That was definitely crossing the line. And so close too, if Phoebe was right about which alley she had seen.

"Let's hurry up then, and spare him the pain." Paige declared, rubbing Phoebe's back in attempts to get her back on her feet. When both sisters looked at her, she touched their arms, orbing them away.

-CHARMED-

The girls came into view, standing defiantly at the entrance to the alley. The scene was just as horrible as Phoebe described. The boy, obviously a minor, was pinned against the wall, unable to move as the demon conjured an axe.

That was where reality diverged from the premonition.

"Axe!" Paige called, holding out her hand. The weapon disappearing from the demon's hands and appearing in Paige's.

Piper then leapt into action, holding her hands out in a gesture that immediately vanquished the demon, blowing him up.

The boy looked at them, shocked, his emerald eyes wide. Just great. This would definitely be fun explaining. Where was memory dust when you needed it?

Scrambling to his feet, he stared at each of the girl's in turn, though his eyes lingered on Piper slightly longer than the rest. "Y-You…"

"Listen, this might be a lot to take in, but-" Phoebe attempted to stop him. But what he said next shocked them.

"You're the Charmed Ones, aren't you!"

Each sister looked at each other in shock. Phoebe's jaw practically dropped open, and Paige's eyes bulged at the exclamation. Only Piper managed to keep her composure, and after a moment of silence, spoke aloud.

"How would you know?" She asked, clearly suspicious by the way her eyes worked him over curiously.

"I'm like you." He explained, eyes eager for their approval. "I'm a witch too!'

"Uh-huh…" Piper said, her nose wrinkling up at his confession. After all, it could be a ploy. "Is that so? Well then, I guess you won't mind answering a few questions for us."

His eyebrows shot up, surprised they hadn't believed him quite yet. "Oh, um, alright then." He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What demon steals the eyesight of children?" Piper fired the question out him, most likely the first of many.

"Grimlocks, I'm not stupid." The boy rolled his eyes sarcastically.

She pursed her lips. "Who's Barbas?"

"The demon of fear. Quite a formidable opponent."

"How do you vanquish an upper-level demon?

"A potion." He answered, scrunching his eyebrows together in thought. "One part mandrake root, one pinch of carrot seeds, a dash of cardamom, a dash of toadflax, one pig's foot, one whole cockle shell, a pinch of juniper berries, and a part of the demon." He finally finished, leaving Piper and the rest of the Charmed Ones slightly stunned that he could remember all that.

"Okay...what's your name?" Phoebe butted in before Piper could ask another question. She trusted him, though some might say she trusted too easily. Either way, he seemed like a good kid.

His eyes lit up and this show of trust, breaking into a grin. "I'm Perry. Just Perry."

Paige nodded, eyebrows raised. What kind of kid didn't have a last name? She only came up with one answer for that, and that was an orphan, or just someone who didn't want to be found. "Alright Just Perry. Why don't you come back with us so we can get you cleaned up." Paige decided, her social-worker instincts kicking into overdrive. It was obvious by his disheveled appearance, covered in grime and bruises. Even his forehead was bleeding slightly, the trickle of blood threatening to fall into his eye as he blinked at them, hardly noticing. "You can take a nice long shower, and then we'll continue this conversation over dinner." She declared, flashing a triumphant grin at her grumpy eldest sister.

Nodding eagerly, he gripped onto Paige's elbow, fairly short, even compared to them. Then, they disappeared into a swirl of orbs, and emerging at the manor.

"Cool…" He murmured, his eyes wandering around the manor in awe, before turning back to them. "So what powers do you have? How many demons have you vanquished?" He bombarded them with questions, until Phoebe held up her hand to stop him.

"We'll answer those later, okay? Now go clean up." She ordered softly, placing her hands on his shoulder to lead him to the bathroom. He immediately tensed up under her touch, breath shuddering to a halt. She furrowed her eyebrows, as he ducked away from her hands.

"Uh, sorry." He said stiffly, scaling the stairs slowly, "I'm sure I'll find them." He assured them.

"First door on the left!" Paige called after him, before hitting Phoebe lightly.

"Ow, what was that for!" Phoebe wined, rubbing her shoulder in mock pain.

Paige sighed, shaking her head. "Former social worker, remember?" She asked, making an elaborate gesture towards herself. "I know the signs when I see them." She explained. It was clear the boy had seen violence. Perhaps abusive parents or just life on the streets. Either way, he was obviously jumpy.

It took Phoebe a moment before the realization dawned on her, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh my god, I have to apologize!" She said, feeling very bad for her actions that hadn't seemed awful at the time.

"Ahem!" Piper finally spoke up, "We're just going to trust him now? What if he's a demon after Wyatt?"

"He's not exactly demon material, Piper." Phoebe explained, shrugging.

"Neither was Cole!" Piper shot visibly winced, and Piper immediately winced. "Alright, that was a low blow, but seriously." She resigned.

"Then freeze him, and see if he actually freezes. If he does, cut him to see if he bleeds." Phoebe suggested, still hurt by her sister's words, as she recalled what they had done to make sure Dan was mortal all those years ago.

Piper nodded, quickly running up the stairs as if her life depended on it, and Phoebe and Paige followed slowly.

Perry was in the bathroom, furiously scrubbing his hair dry, a towel hanging limply around his thin waist. He really was a small boy, looking as if he was fourteen, when he had to have been older. Piper could count his ribs, and his hip bones jutted as he exited the bathroom, glancing over at her.

"Hey Piper." He said calmly, turning around. "Do you have any extra clothes? My old ones are kinda dirty... and bloody." He explained

The moment his eyes were off her, Piper threw her hands up in a gesture to freeze him. Nothing happened. "Uh, yeah, my husband has some clothes. I'm sure he wouldn't mind you borrowing them. Come on." She gestured to him, leading him down the hall to her room. "So, how did you know my name?" She asked slowly, her eyebrow raised. Just because he wasn't a demon didn't mean he wasn't a threat.

"Everyone knows your name. At least in the magical community." Perry said in a nonchalant manner, following her into her room as she rummaged through the closet and pulled out a flannel shirt and jeans.

"Oh." She simply said, embarrassed for a brief moment before leaving. "Get changed, and I'll start making dinner." Piper offered, calling over her shoulder.

"M'kay!" Perry agreed.

-CHARMED-

The shower had been amazing, giving the boy a much needed sense of comfort. Actually washing himself clean, with soap and shampoo felt amazing. He didn't need to shave, luckily, though his unkempt hair fell into his face slightly. He didn't mind though.

Talking to his mother was more difficult. She was so beautiful...exactly how he remembered her, minus the streaks of gray in her dark her and the worry lines wrinkling her face. He knew she planned to freeze him. Not just because of the conversation he had heard downstairs, but also because it was definitely something his mom would have done. He might as well save her the embarrassment, so he dutifully and conveniently turned away.

He knew she was surprised, because when a strange kid comes into your house, you expect him to be a demon. At least, for witches. Nope, he was just normal. Well, as normal as a witchlighter from the dark future where the twice-blessed turned evil could be. Especially given the circumstances.

The moment she was gone, the man dubbed 'Perry' collapsed onto the bed, sighing heavily.

"Pull it together, Chris." He growled, shaking his head furiously, heading over to the mirror. The moment he saw himself, he waved his hand, and the glamour dropped. His features shifted, though not majorly. The only thing that changed was the amount of scars marking his body.

There was a long, jagged 'W' across his eye, a branding. It could've stood for 'Wyatt', 'Witch', or 'Whitelighter', but Chris didn't know. If he pulled back his hair, you could see a neat number branded on the back of his neck. There were several circular marks, that had to have been from bullet wounds. Then the burns, that ranged from circular fireball burns to blistering rashes. Scars crisscrossed his chest, forming several 'X's' from torture sessions with Wyatt. A large chunk was missing from his shoulder, from an especially memorable attack on one of Wyatt's compounds. He should have set the timer on the bomb for a few seconds longer.

After a few moments memorizing his appearance, he waved his hand again, and his body shimmered, once again became Perry, the innocent witch. Then he got changed, these clothes even bigger on him than the others he had been wearing beforehand.

Time to face the music...or his past family. He just had to keep up the charade until Wyatt was saved.

-CHARMED-

Piper hummed softly as she bustled around the kitchen, making a proper meal as fast as she could. Paige was right: the boy needed some serious meat on him.

Paige sat next to Wyatt, attempting to get him to eat his food, though failing miserably. "Come on. I know you're hungry!" She whined, shaking the spoon in front of the toddler. It seemed like just another day, except for the strange witch upstairs wearing Leo's clothes.

Perry didn't come down for a long time, making Piper wonder what he was doing up there. Maybe she should have stayed and watched him.

'Nevermind,' She thought, as Perry entered the kitchen, buttoning the final button on Leo's shirt.

"What are you making?" He asked, heading over to lean on the countertop, taking a deep breath, smelling the sweet aroma that had been rising from the oven for the past few minutes.

"Casserole. It should be done in soon." Piper answered, chuckling as his eyes lit up at the prospect of food. "Then we can have a discussion about what's what." She added.

His eyes immediately darkened, turning away. "Yeah, alright." His head cocked to the side upon seeing Paige and Wyatt. "Can I try?" Perry asked hopefully, going over to crouch by the two.

Paige nodded, handing him the spoon. "Be my guest, but I'm warning you, it is no easy task."

"I'll take that into account." He murmured, hovering the spoon next to Wyatt's mouth. "Hey, buddy. Can you eat this for me? It's pretty good. Of course it is, since mommy made it." He spoke softly to the younger boy, until Wyatt's mouth surprisingly opened wide, and Perry dipped the spoon into his waiting mouth. "Perfect!" He declared, taking another spoonful of Wyatt's food and feeding it to him.

The two sisters stared gaping, shocked at how well he was with Wyatt. "Huh, nevermind then." Paige said, clearly impressed as Phoebe walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, listen. When's the food going to be ready? Because Elise wants to meet with me before tomorrow, and it sounds important." Phoebe said, one hand holding the phone to her ear.

As luck would have it, that was the moment the oven beeped, signalling that the casserole was finished cooking. "Now." Piper said, heading to pull out the meal.

Phoebe grinned, alright then. After relaying a good time to Elise, she then went over to set the table, and Paige and Perry sat down. Piper sat down the food on the table. "Dig in everyone. Leo! Dinner time!" She called to the ceiling. Miraculously, her husband appeared in a whirl of orbs, sitting down in a seat next to Piper.

"Who's this?" Leo asked curiously, glancing at Perry from across the table.

"Oh, this is Perry. We saved him earlier while you were too busy to come down." Piper retorted, still mad at her husband.

"Piper, you know-"

She shook her head, not wanting an argument in front of Perry. "Whatever. Just eat." She ordered her husband, and he almost immediately complied.

There they sat in silence, each person eating generous helpings of the meal, until Phoebe finally spoke up, her voice tentative. "Alright Perry, what do you say we take turns asking questions." She suggested, voice lighthearted as she glanced Piper's way for her approval. She nodded, as did Perry, however both looked reluctant.

"Let's get started then." Perry murmured, meeting each of their gazes, even Leo's for a brief second. "What do you want to know?"

 **-CHARMED-**

 **Yeah, I posted this chapter pretty darn quickly. Didn't expect to like writing this story so much, and actually had some downtime while driving to my relatives for mother's day. Managed to remember my laptop, and got this chapter finished!**

 **Now, like always, please review! Leave suggestions, comments, concerns...anything really. I love hearing from ya'll**


	3. Chapter 3

Previously on Secrets of the Future…

 _There they sat in silence, each person eating generous helpings of the meal, until Phoebe finally spoke up, her voice tentative. "Alright Perry, what do you say we take turns asking questions." She suggested, voice lighthearted as she glanced Piper's way for her approval. She nodded, as did Perry, however both looked reluctant._

" _Let's get started then." Perry murmured, meeting each of their gazes, even Leo's for a brief second. "What do you want to know?"_

-SECRETS OF THE FUTURE-

"I'll go first." Paige declared, making a show of thinking of a question, when she already had hers thought of well beforehand. "What are your active powers?"

He answered easily, of course. Always start out with the easy questions. "Active power." Perry corrected, scratching the back of his neck in mild embarrasment. "I have telekinesis." He answered.

Paige nodded sympathetically. "Don't worry. I'm sure you can't have been a witch for long, so they're bound to develop eventually." She comforted him.

"Thanks." He grinned, before biting his lip. "My turn." He decided, "What are all your powers?" He asked, shoving the easy question back at them.

Phoebe answered this one. "I have levitation and precognition, which is seeing the future. Paige can telekinetically orb, and orb herself, which is sort of like teleporting. Piper freezes time and blows stuff up."

"What about him?" Perry questioned, nodding towards Leo.

"Healing and orbing." Phoebe said, deciding to omit the facts about white-lighters until later. It could be confusing.

Perry nodded at this information, waiting for another question. Piper took the initiative, and asked what she was curious about. "Why did that demon attack you?"

Perry chuckled lightly. "I vanquished some friends of his. Well, I say friends. More like allies." He corrected himself, "Seems he didn't take very kindly to it."

Piper frowned deeply, and before Paige could warn Piper about what her social worker instincts had picked up, she asked another question, mostly to herself. "What kind of parents let their kid vanquish demons alone? I mean, you can't be older than eighteen."

Almost as if a switch had been flicked, Perry's eyes turned cold, and he looked down slightly. "Seventeen. My mom's dead." He answered, "Dad's a deadbeat. Skipped out on us before I was eight."

"Oh." was the only suitable answer she could come up with in response to this. "I'm...sorry."

"It's fine. I'm over it really." He supplied, but Piper could tell by the haunted look in his eyes that he was definitely not alright with it.

Paige sighed heavily as his eyes suddenly brightened, as if he was pulling on a mask. It was disconcerting how easily he could hide his emotions much better than anyone she'd ever seen before. Perhaps it was a side effect of the trauma he had obviously experienced.

"Are you as awesome as they say you are?" He finally managed to get out, somewhat sheepishly. They all looked slightly stunned.

"Who's they?" Phoebe asked curiously.

Perry seemed surprised by this. "Everyone." He answered somewhat vaguely. "You're like celebrities!"

Paige looked very pleased with his comparison, nudging Piper teasingly. "Hear that? We're celebrities." This earned her an eyeroll from her sister, who shrugged in response to his question.

"I don't think we're that great," Piper said, grinning at his slightly crestfallen face, "But you can think that if you'd like. We have to stay modest, after all."

At this, he perked up. Piper was actually becoming fond of the young boy, contradicting her earlier suspicions. "Alright, Phoebe, Leo, do you have any questions?"

Phoebe nodded, looking similar to a bobblehead. "Yeah. How long have you been a witch?"

He blinked, making a face at what she assumed was him attempting to count up the years. In reality, he was thinking of a suitable number to tell them. "Three years." He finally answered.

"Just a little longer than me." Paige supplied, grinning broadly, as if she had found a kindred spirit in the young boy. Orphan? Check, though it had been her foster parents. Witch? Check, even though she was half white-lighter. Adorable? Check. If he had been a few years older, she would totally be flirting with him right now. She was sure Phoebe would be too.

"Guess so." He blushed bashfully, "I think I'm out of my major questions, honestly. Do you have anything else you want to know?"

They all looked at each other, shrugging, "Guess not." Leo said.

"Good!" Perry grinned, clearly pleased with this. "Because I'm in some deep trouble."

-SECRETS OF THE FUTURE-

"I don't trust him." Leo declared, putting his foot firmly down on the subject, as they conferred in the other room.

"We know Leo," Paige sighed in clear annoyance, as it was the third time Leo had said so in the duration of their five minute debate. "But he's just a kid! He's a witch like us, and an orphan. Besides, from what I've seen, he is fairly competent in vanquishing demons," She added, realizing that fact due to the obvious injuries that she remembered the demon already having by the time they arrived. "Besides, he has his pride. He wouldn't ask for our help unless it was an emergency."

"Honestly, Paige, I'm not so sure." Piper shook her head, turning to phoebe now. "Remember Aviva?"

Phoebe nodded, while Paige scrunched up her face, mostly due to the annoyance at remembering she hadn't been a witch as long as them. Phoebe decided to explain. "Aviva was a girl who was controlled by a demon. She pretended to be a witch, and then tried to kill us."

Paige rolled her eyes at this. "Come on, he's alone without us! Did you see the state he was in? He looked like he'd been living in a warzone!"

Gingerly, Leo added in, though obviously with reluctance. "I've been to war. To be honest, he looked worse than he would by living in a warzone."

Piper huffed, not liking being overruled in this matter. "He's a sweet kid, but what if he's intentions aren't what they seem?"

"Then we'll get to that when we come to it." Phoebe decided, "We're the Charmed Ones. Whatever he may or may not throw at us, we can take it. And none of us would ever forgive ourselves if he died because we didn't help him."

Piper bit her lip. Her sister did have a point, she admitted slowly. "Fine. Let's see what this trouble he's in is."

The group piled back into the dining room, trying their best to keep a neutral face. Perry was right where they had left him, fiddling with his fork. All the food on his plate was gone, much to their surprise. After all, they hadn't been gone too long.

"Well?" He asked slowly, as if scared to hear the answer that would come from their mouths, searching their eyes desperately.

"We'll help you." Paige answered, clearly pleased by the decision they'd come to. "What seems to be the problem."

Perry gulped, taking a hasty breath as he began talking, his words soft and vunerable. "My mom was killed when I was fourteen." He started, glancing up at them to make sure they weren't going to interrupt. "She was amazing, really. My fourteenth birthday, a horde of demons attacked. That was when I found out about magic." He explained, lips pursued. "There was one demon who sent them to our house, the leader of the group. I've finally managed to track him down, but I can't face him alone. Not when…" He trailed off, leaving Piper to remember how she reacted when faced with her mother's killer."Besides, he needs to be vanquished with a power of three spell." He added, biting his lip-a sure sign of nervousness-as he shifted his eyes to each of them.

Paige immediately pitied the boy, the story pulling on her heartstrings in a way nothing else had. Piper was more reluctant, though she understood the boy's need for revenge better than most. The middle Halliwell, a new empath, and could feel his honesty, his hope, and his love for his mother. There was something else she couldn't identify, but she ignored it for now.

Almost in unison, they turned towards Leo, asking him silently what his opinion on the matter was. He shifted uncomfortably, "I'm not sure how I feel about provoking a demon when he hasn't set his sights on us yet...though I guess we can make an exception. Phoebe had that premonition of you for a reason, to lead us to you. Maybe it wasn't just to save you from the demon." Leo shrugged, "Let's get to work."

Perry broke into a grin, his boyish features instantly becoming happy about the unified decision. The girls high-fived, before turning to their young companion. "Do you know his name?" Piper asked, returning to the business at hand so they could return to their normal lives.

"Yeah, he's called Zoko. I'm hoping he's in the Book of Shadows." Perry suggested, gesturing towards the stairway. "Can we get looking?"

Phoebe nodded,"Yeah, we can start finding out what we can, but let's wait until tomorrow to vanquish him. It's getting late, and we have work tomorrow." She decided, still adamant with her sisters on the concept of a normal life.

Hesitating at the setback, Perry frowned, before clearly realizing it wasn't his position to argue, and ended up nodding his head. "Alright. As soon as you're all home." He added, impatient for the kill. Without another word, he clambered up the stairs, taking them two at a time to maximize speed. As they followed, they heard a faint 'Hurry up!'.

To Leo, Perry was a curious boy. As an outside source other than the sisters, he took the time when they weren't paying him much attention to observe this innocent. He certainly didn't act like anyone they'd ever saved before, though that could be because he was a witch. Perry's moods changed quick, as if he was never quite sure what to feel. To tell the truth, Leo was immediately suspicious of the stranger that had shared dinner with them. He had a bad feeling about this kid, though he couldn't express this to the sisters, who probably wouldn't believe him. While the sisters began to pour over their resources, Leo suggested conferring with the elders.

What he hadn't told her, and had started his suspicions, was that he was unable to come down earlier due to his fellow elders fretting over a strange energy spike in this area. What was even more curious, was that it was only a few hours before they met Perry. Could this boy be the one who caused it? As he orbed 'Up There', he debated sharing his concerns, though eventually decided to hold his tongue. No need to make a fuss unless there was absolute proof.

"Hey, Zola." Leo called, walking over to his friend, who had graciously helped him settle into his duties as an elder. "The girls and Perry are working to find a demon named Zoko, who killed a witch a few years ago." He explained, only now regretting that he had failed to ask for Perry's mother's name, which would make this discussion easier. "I was wondering if you knew anything about recent activity?

Zola nodded, though his eyebrows furrowed in frustration, unable to recall the name 'Perry' in any previous conversations. "I'm sorry, who is this Perry?" He asked slowly.

Leo waved his hand, "It's not important, just some witch's kid. His mother was the one killed by Zoko, and he wants help for the vanquish."

It was clear Zola was not completely satisfied by this vague answer, but it was also clear that Leo didn't know much else. Perhaps he would investigate on his own, later.

-SECRETS OF THE FUTURE-

"Thyme." Piper ordered, placing her hand out for the ingredient. Paige dutifully slipped the thyme into her hand, awaiting next orders on the potions. Simply a batch of stunning potions, these would hopefully take out the demon before he could hurt them, and allow them to safely say the power of three spell necessary.

Perry sat on poor Aunt Pearl's couch, flipping mindlessly through the pages. He had seemed excited at first, but once their direct attention was off him, he became bored. It was as if he knew what was in the book. Phoebe hovered over him. She knew that since he could touch the book, it had to be safe in his hands, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat protective of the heirloom. For a brief second, so quick that she could of sworn she was seeing things, he stopped at the page for traveling into the past. Then he resumed the steady flipping of the pages. It was probably just her imagination.

"Eye of newt." Paige quickly passed over the ingredient, wrinkling her nose as she did so.

"Found him." Perry declared triumphantly, laying out the book for them to see the picture, and began reading. "Zoko is an upper-level demon, known for his ability to see the future of witches. By touching something they own, he can see any future progeny they might have, and kill the witch before their children are born. He has extremely high resistance and tough skin, making it almost impossible to harm him without the proper vanquishing spell. His abilities include multiple abilities he has stolen in his lifetime, fire wielding, and shimmering do not go up against him unprepared."

"Mom's handwriting," Phoebe murmured, "Zoko must have seen that she was going to give birth to the Charmed Ones, and acted accordingly. But how do you think she got rid of him?"

Paige shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by this fact. "We'll ask him, before we vanquish him."

A puff of blue smoke in Piper's direction, caused them to turn towards her, shocked to find her face powdered by light blue dust. "It's done." She said breathless, coughing smoke from her lungs before corking some bottles full of the potion. "Perry, you can sleep in the guest room, for tonight, unless you have somewhere to be?" She said, bringing a towel to her face to get rid of the dust that stained it.

"No, I'll take the room. Thank you so much!" Perry grinned, racing out of the attic.

"It's just down the hall, on the-oh forget about it." Phoebe attempted to call after him,"He's long gone."

At this moment, Leo orbed down, looking at Piper in surprise. "Don't say anything." She muttered darkly, shaking her head to try and get the remaining powder out of her dark brown locks.

"Apparently, Zoko is a demon who likes to prey on powerful witches and kill them before they can bear any children." Leo informed them, jumping right into business, "It's curious, because Perry claims his mother was killed when he was already born." He explained, since the kid hadn't mentioned any siblings. "Either way, take him on with caution."

"We already got that part Leo." Paige sighed, as the girls seemingly ignored what he had been trying to imply about Perry: that he was lying.

"Come on, let's get to bed." Piper smiled softly, taking Leo's arm and leading him off to their room down the hall. Paige and Phoebe looked at each other, before shrugging, and leaving the room too. They passed by the guest room, slightly shocked to see that Perry had had apparently no trouble in finding it, already fast asleep on the comforter. Paige smirked, and the two went on their way.

-SECRETS OF THE FUTURE-

Two hours later, a flurry of orbs appeared in the attic, forming none other than Perry himself. Looking around to make sure he was truly alone, he crept towards the book, placing his feet deftly to avoid any creaking boards.

Waving his arm, the book fluttered open, turning the pages slowly. He hadn't looked at this old book in years. Not since it had been taken by none other than Wyatt Halliwell. All the sisters were asleep. Now would be the perfect time to hunt some demons.

He had lied to them. Straight to their faces. He hadn't been sure he would have been able to do that. Zoko was just another demon, that had been one of Wyatt's top executioners. The only thing Chris was doing by having them vanquish him now, was saving a few lives, and gaining their trust.

Landing on a page, one describing Kaji Demons, along with a simple vanquishing spell, he orbed out, ending up in the underworld. These demons weren't going to enjoy themselves one bit.

Once in the underworld, he set to work, already close to wear these specific demons were. Now, he just had to find their lair. Hearing a few faint voices, he hid behind a rock, holding his breath.

"I have been informed of a boy, who aims to kill Zoko." A pompous british voice said, most likely belonging to a man. But how did he find out about that? "He aims to bring the Charmed Ones with him."  
A noticably deeper voice nodded, "Understood, we will be prepared for anything." It growled calmly, a sneer in his voice, though also a touch of fear at the prospect of facing off against the Charmed Ones. "A trap will be set. But why are you helping us?"

A laugh resonated across the cave. "I have my reasons." He assured proudly. "Just remember who saved your life."

The pair walked from the cavern, leaving a dumbfounded Perry in their wake. "And I was hoping this would be easy." He muttered in mild annoyance, shaking his head. "Alright. Kaji demons." He eventually decided, focusing on the matter at hand in order to distract himself properly.

There would always be time to warn the sisters once they were awake.


End file.
